Travelling is good for the mind and soul, but can be really hard on the skin, especially in the summer season, when the sun is probably in its hottest and you’re more frequent in the water—super chlorinated water! Your skin has all the reasons to act out—from the airborne bacteria present inside the plane to the changes in routine and climate, not to mention excessive sun exposure.

Here, we share to you some tips on how to keep your skin happy while living the beach life—and yes, it’s more than just slapping on some sunscreen.

1. Improve Your In-Flight Hygiene
Cleanliness is key to keeping your skin free of breakouts when you’re inside a plane. Always carry makeup remover wipes to wipe clean your skin whenever needed. But just as important, wipe down your armrests and seat before sitting on it. People leave bacteria and oil behind on seats, the reason why sometimes you develop body acne the next day of your flight. A quick wipe might be the only thing you need to save you some trouble.

2. Practice Healthy Hotel Habits
During the summer season, our skin is prone to breakouts. We sweat a lot and probably use a lot of new products, including those hotel toiletries, which can aggravate sensitive skin. Even if you are staying somewhere fancy, those designer moisturizers and lotions can still cause trouble on your skin if you have never tried them out.

3. Protect Yourself from the Sun
Any dermatologist would agree that sunscreen is a top skincare necessity during this season, no matter your skin type or skin tone. Those UV rays are cancer-causing. Make sure to re-apply all throughout the day. If you’re swimming or sweating a lot, you definitely need to reapply every few hours. Put on a layer of body sunscreen before heading outside and bring a spray sunscreen with you to reapply later in the day. Accessories help, too. Wear hats, shades and UV-protective clothing.

4. Adjust Your Skincare Routine
knowing your skin type is important to fully protect your skin. Heat can be good for those with dry skin, especially if there is presence of humidity in the air. For those with oily skin, being under the heat can be a challenge. According to dermatologists, try to keep your skin care as simple as possible. Start with cleanser and end with moisturizer suited for your skin type.

5. Treat Sunburns
It is a good idea to bring some skincare remedies in case you end up being under the sun for longer hours. Bring some aloe for wound and sunburn healing. However, know that aloe does not replace the purpose of sunscreen—it cannot protect you from UV damage. It can only soothe redness and peeling of the skin due to sunburn.

It’s not just you who needs a break; your skin, too. Enjoy summer while also giving your skin some TLC and reap the benefits of good skin even after your trip.

Most people will find themselves suffering from acne at some point in their lives, especially when they go through puberty.

But aside from hormones, there are other factors that can cause acne, such as stress, and pimples don’t necessarily mean your facial skin is clean or dirty. In fact, cleansing your facial skin too much can irritate it even more, which makes acne breakouts more likely.

While hormones can’t be controlled, there are a few easy ways you can manage you breakouts if they happen:

1. Wash your face with soap and water.
Instead of turning to expensive facial products, you can simply use a bar of mild soap and water to wash your face with twice a day.

Mild soap and water can actually do a lot to reduce your acne breakouts if you wash your face and pat dry with a clean washcloth.

2. Avoid stress as much as possible.
While you’re going to experience it at some point in time, there are other things that could easily cause unnecessary stress, such as staying up too late.

This is because you also produce more facial oils along with cortisol when you’re stressed, and the longer you’re stressed, the more prone your sebum glands are to getting blocked and inflaming, causing pimples.

Seven to eight hours of sleep can work wonders when it comes to keeping stress at bay. With the lack of stress hormones in your system, breakouts are less likely to occur.

3. Spot-treat with tea tree oil.
Tea tree oil can be especially effective at reducing pimples when diluted in a five percent solution, and has fewer side effects than benzoyl peroxide.

To make it safe, dilute one part of tea tree oil in nine parts of water, and apply it to your pimples via a cotton swab twice a day depending on how frequently you need it. You can even apply moisturizer to make sure your facial skin stays moist.

In lieu of tea tree oil, you can also spot reduce using other types of essential oils, such as those of cinnamon, rose, and lavender can be quite effective in fighting acne-causing bacteria.

4. Try not to touch your face too often.
This can be more difficult than you think, especially because people are more likely to touch their face on a regular basis. However, the more often you touch your face, the more you bring bacteria to it, which could cause your breakouts to get more intense.

You could also try certain lifestyle changes, such as eating more fruits and vegetables in your diet, and exercising more regularly and getting seven to eight hours of sleep.

One of the holy grail of one’s makeup routine is the foundation. Whether it’s in powder form or in liquid, we depend on it to hide whatever it is that we need to hide. But, most of the good, or probably the best, foundations out there in the market cost a lot. So, here are the best, probably, foundations for $50.00 or less.

Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation ($28.00)
Cover FX’s foundation is quite a steal. This foundation does not only work as a it is but it also works as a concealer and a highlighter. You can also use this for contouring. It is convenient, it’s in stick form so you don’t have to worry about bringing bulky makeup around if ever you have to travel. This is good for any skin type because it’s fragrance and talc free and good for the body because it doesn’t have any paraben and sulphates. It’s also vegan-friendly.

Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation ($49.00 for 6.5g)
I bet you haven’t heard of this brand before, but if you’re a frequent Sephora customer, this would probably ring a bell. Alima Pure’s Satin Matte Foundation is also performing well and hard in the makeup game, with its hypoallergenic formula, it’s safe for any skin type, even on sensitive skin. This is good for all-day wear since it’s in powder form and it’s matte, good for a humid climate like Singapore’s.

NYX Professional Makeup Total Control Drop Foundation ($26.00 for 13ml)
If you’re having a hard time looking for your exact shade, trust NYX on this. Their Total Control Drop Foundation is available in thirty shades and all you have to do is match. It has a soft matte finish, gives you a dewy and glowing skin, and it’s buildable, you don’t have to worry about this failing you in the middle of the day. This drop foundation from NYX also comes in a glass bottle, boujee for a drugstore brand makeup.

TheBalm Photo Balm Powder Foundation ($19.00)
If you’re not a big fan of liquid foundations, or you just want a powder and foundation in one, or you just want something cheap, then theBalm’s Photo Balm Powder Foundation is good for you. Available in seven shades, this is also perfect for the Singaporean weather for its matte finish. This is talc-free, so it’s safe for sensitive skin.

Urban Decay Naked Skin – One & Done Complexion Cream ($50.00)
From one of makeup’s wall of fame members, Urban Decay’s One & Done Complexion Cream finishes the job. Available in six shades, you can use this alone or as a primer. It’s oil-free, it nourishes and has SPF 20, definitely Urban Decay got you covered. Truly one & done!

On a tight budget but you have to replenish your makeup supply? Or you want to try something new but you only have $40 in your pocket? Or you want to maximize your $40 for a good performing makeup? Well, this is what you’ve been looking for! Here’s (probably) the best eye makeup under $40, from the prep stage to the finishing touches.

Mascara
Tired of wearing falsies (false eyelashes)? You should get Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara ($ 35.00 for full size [8ml]). It’s not just waterproof, as the name says it, it’s also sweat-proof, so your lashes can easily transition from work to play in no time! It is formulated with collagen and it is free of paraben, sulphate, and phthalates.

Eyeliner
Another waterproof product we have is from Tarte. The Kitten Liquid Eyeliner ($ 31.00, 1.4ml in black) is waterproof, smudge-proof (even on oily skin), and it dries quickly, assuring you that you can finish your makeup in time (since there will be no mess) and you wouldn’t look like a panda after a few hours! This is the only eyeliner that I know of that contains glycerin to moisturize the lash area. The cute kitten peeking on the eyeliner cover also caught my attention.

Highlight and Primer
Spent the whole night studying for next day’s exam or cramming that paperwork for tomorrow’s performance report and never get the chance to catch a wink? With these highlighters and primer, you could fool everyone into thinking you actually had a good night’s rest. If you’re a fan of highlighters, you should get Tarte’s Fake Awake Eye Highlight ($ 31.00). It’s a gel-based highlighter so it’s perfect for any skin type. It’s also vegan-friendly.

If you’re not familiar with highlighters, you can use Urban Decay’s Anti-ageing Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($ 38.00 in full size). You can use this alone or put eyeshadow on it (it makes the eyeshadow colours more vibrant than ever). This does not only makes you look awake, but it also decreases the fine lines of your eyelids.

Brows
For us girls, our brows are our life. We always make sure our brows are on fleek before we close the door behind us and conquer the day. Zoeva’s Graphic Brow Fix ($ 20.00 for 4.5 ml) perfectly puts brows in place. The good thing about this product is that your brows will look filled and natural. It also lasts the whole day! It’s available in three different shades of brown so there’s a lot to choose from.

Eyeshadows
Your eye makeup will not be complete without any eyeshadows on. Try Tarte’s Tartelette Flirt Eyeshadow Palette ($ 35.00). It includes six highly pigmented eyeshadows, both in matte and metallic shades. This palette is perfect for a work-to-play smokey eye look.